Day 78 – I 81 to Cove Mountain Shelter: mile 731.4 to mile 755.3
Had a good day! Betty fed me an awesome breakfast and took me to the trail around 7:30. Turns out the 1/3 mark was right where she dropped me off. The terrain was mostly easygoing and my pace remained below 30 all day.
At about the 14 mile mark for the day I had my first crossing of the Blue hRidge Parkway. I would cross it several timesu through the day. Because I was doing good time, i decided to hike longer and get more miles in.
Our hiking friend, Tim (Pilgrim) that we met during the cold in Franklin was returning to the trail today. He got off 12 days ago to attend his son’s college graduation. His return point was about my 20 mile point for the day. After texting with him we determined he would get dropped off at about the time I would be there. We hiked together another 3.4 miles to Cove Mountain Shelter. My total AT miles for today was a new record of 23.9 for the day. I actually feel pretty good. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Day 79 – Cove Mountain Shelter to Thunder Hill Shelter: mile 755.3 to mile 772.5
Found out about a campground that had a restaurant serving breakfast. They also had a small amount of resupply items. As I got to the road that led to the campground, a vehicle was dropping someone off. There was a woman there that I swore was Sue from Fontana Dam area. It couldn’t be, that’s 500 miles back. But it was her! What are the odds? Just a few minutes earlier or later and I’d have missed her. I told her about Amy’s mishap. Her friends she was with took me to the campground so I didn’t need to call the campground for a shuttle. What a small world!
The campground restaurant was really a grill in the camp store and a couple tables on the porch. The breakfast platter was good and the coffee was hot so all was not bad. I took a quick walking tour of the place to see if our 5th wheel could get in. Possible but I’m not sure it would be our top choice for the area.
As I crossed over Apple Orchard Mountain I walked by a radar bubble on the summit. It was used by the Air Force during the Cold War but is now operated by the FAA.
Shortly after leaving the summit, I was climbing down a rocky area and walked under a huge bolder jammed between two rock walls. It gave me pause to walk under the huge rock but it didn’t look like it would come loose anytime soon. The location is known as the guillotine.
We camped at Thunder Hill shelter where the weather helped the place live up to its name. We believe a bear circled the area shortly after dark and just before the brief thunderstorm.
Day 80 – Thunder Hill Shelter to Stanimal’s Hostel Glasgow: mile 772.5 to mile 787.2
We had a relatively short hike today, only going 14.7 miles. The trail was relatively uneventful with a few nice views and some of the beautiful flowers that line the trail.
We soon arrived at the James River bridge that allows Appalachian Trail hikers to cross the river. Signs warned that it was illegal to jump off the bridge but that wasn’t stopping some young folks from doing so on this hot day. Our ride to the hostel was waiting in the parking lot and we were soon getting showered and doing some laundry.
Day 81 – Stanimal’s Hostel Glasgow to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter: mile 787.2 to mile 807.3
Had a great breakfast at the hostel before catching the first shuttle to the trailhead. The first half of the day had most of the elevation gain. The second half was mostly down hill and flat with a few uphill sections.
I spent the day hiking with Tim (Pilgrim). It’s been nice having someone to hike with that I knew fairly well before Amy’s injury. He is a slightly faster hiker than me but chose to go my pace today. I took the lead and he just hiked my pace and said he was good with that.
We saw another black snake today but a hiker at the shelter that hiked the same section as us saw two good sized rattlesnakes. I’m ok with not seeing the rattlesnake or any other poisonous snakes.
During the hike we came across a sad memorial to a boy that got lost in the woods and died. He was one month shy of his 5th birthday and was found 7 miles from the last place he was known to be.
We passed mile 800 today. The marker was created with pine cones and decorated with the blossoms of nearby rhododendron and mountain laurels. It was the most decorated milestone marker so far.
I plan to get up early and start hiking by 6:00 am. I’ve got 22 planned and may try for more.
Day 82 – Brown Mountain Creek Shelter to The Priest Shelter: mile 807.3 to mile 829.7
Slept a little longer than I planned but still got started around 6:30 am. Had 22 miles planned that started with 2600 feet of elevation gain. I struggled getting up the hill and wondered if I was going to make it to my planned destination.
Had some nice views as I crossed over Cole Mountain. The mountaintop was a large field with nice views. Shortly after the peak I crossed a road with some trail magic. Some cookies and juice boxes. It was nice to have some free calories while hiking.
A quick check of the weather showed that thunderstorms were coming in after 6:00. I checked my mileage and thought I could make it in time. I arrived just before 6:00 pm but the thunderstorm arrived at about 5:15. I got soaked! The storm passed soon and I was able to setup my tent and get in bed by 8:00.
Day 83 – The Priest Shelter to Reid’s Gap: mile 829.7 to mile 845.2
I got up before sunrise in order to try and get to my destination as early as possible. My friend, CJ, was going to pick me up at Reid’s Gap, about 15 miles away. Under normal circumstances I would be there between 12:00 and 12:30. Unfortunately the circumstances weren’t normal. The terrain was very rocky and I had a descent of 2600 feet immediately followed by an ascent of the same amount.
The forecast called for rain starting around 1:00. The rain came a bit early and I didn’t get to the gap until 1:45. I got soaked again.
CJ took me to the bathhouse to get a quick shower and put on dry clothes. We then went to the Devil’s Backbone brewery for lunch and some beer. Given the rain, I decided to try and get into the hostel for the night as opposed to setting up my tent at CJ’s campsite. It would have been nice to hang with her for the evening, but I needed to get dry and launder my clothes. I decided to take a zero the next day and rest up while it continued to rain. The bad weather was timely because I’ve hiked 155 miles in the 8 days I’ve been back on the trail. It’s time for some rest.
Daily Data
| Day | Miles | Total Asc | Total Desc | Steps |
| 78 | 23.9 | 5390 | 4803 | 62603 |
| 79 | 17.2 | 5869 | 3923 | 47854 |
| 80 | 14.7 | 1765 | 4983 | 41542 |
| 81 | 20.1 | 5003 | 4297 | 53211 |
| 82 | 22.4 | 6669 | 4232 | 59595 |
I enjoyed this blog post…even though I opened my Christmas gifts early. 😜 It’s nice to see the trails you are walking. Enjoy your zero day. I’m still amazed at the amount of trail magic and trail angels you encounter.
Love the views of the water, flowers and beautiful valleys. That rocky section did not look fun! But what a reward afterwards. I’m not sure how you tear down a tent in the dark – that’s quite a feat. You’re really moving now. I’m tired just imagining your pace. Stay well!
So very proud of you little brother! Stay safe and I cant wait to see you in a week!
Love the sounds of the birds and the mountain laurel. I had a fb memory come up today where we hiked a few miles at the very beginning of the ET at Springer Mtn in GA 5 years ago.
Badge of courage for walking under the “guillotine” hanging rock (insert wide eyed emoji here, lol). What a treat to see all of the breathtaking vistas and flowers. Thankful that you had a hiking buddy for some of the time – safety in numbers and all that jazz. I have to say, it freaked me out a bit as you hiked before sunrise…lion and tigers and bear oh my! But….the sunrise pic I think was one of my favorites so thanks for that. You are doing an amazing job and congrats on passing the 1/3 point!!!!